Improvement in desk attachments for chairs



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DESK ATTACHMENTS FOR CHAIRS.

No. 175,176. Patented March 21,1876.

WITNESSES: M 7%ZZM@MFZ75 W ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. PHOTO-LITMOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D c.

UNITED STATES PA ENT Orr'ron.

OEVEDRA B. SHELDON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN DESK ATTACHMENTS FOR CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,176, dated March 21, 1876; application filed January 8, 187 6.

reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, partly in section, applied to a chair. Fig. 2 is a front view of the book-support.

The object of my invention is to provide a reading and writing desk attachment'for chairs, which shall be portable, readily attached and removed, adjustable for all positions and the various sizes of the occupants, and applicable to all chairs, lounges, tables,

or beds. It consists in the particular constr uction and arrangement of the devices for clamping the chair and regulating the adjustments, as hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims. 7.

1n the drawing, A represents the clamp, which supports the standard B, and forms the means of attachment to the chair. Said clamp consists of a tube, a, which contains the stand ard, and in which the latter is adjusted vertically by means of the right-angular bindingscrew b. The said tube is provided with an upper jaw or extension, 0, and is screw-threadedjupon its lower end to receive the adjustable lower jaw. 0, through which passes the binding-screw d, with swiveled clutch-plate d, which clamps the chair=frame. Ordinarily the adjustment of the biudingscrew (1 will be sufficient to accommodate the parts of the chair to beclamped but, for very heavy chairs, and for lounges or .beds, there would not be space enough between the jaws, and, for the purpose of making the clamp more generally applicable,'I make one of the jaws adjustable by providing it with a female thread, which meshes with the thread upon the tube a. The radial adj ustability of the j aw 0 upon the screwthread, moreover, permits the same to be turned to one side when its contiguity to the chair-leg would be such as to prevent the convenient manipulation of the binding-screw, Which, considered in the light of the general application of the device, is an important function. The upper jaw is made wide to admit of this deflection when necessary, and is designed to have a rubber or leather lining, to preventinj ury to the chair, which lining is fastened tothe jaw by means of the notchese e. The vertically-adjustable standard B is, for the sake of lightness, strength, and ornamentation, made of a section of gas-pipe, polished, and nickel-plated, and its upper end enters a socket of the bracket 0, which isprovided with a set-screw, b. The portion of the standard which enters this socket is made with an annular groove or depression, 9, into which the end of the s'etscrew of the socket passes. The connection thus made is substantial, and cannot be broken, except by releasing the screw, and yet the groove allows the bracket to swivel upon the standard to accommodate the varied positions of the desk. The other end .of

the bracket is provided with an end of similar construction to the standard, which enters a second socket, D, carrying a set-screw, which connection is similar, both in construction and function, to that first mentioned. The said socket D is pivoted, through a thumb-screw, h, to a semicircular plate, E, carrying the slide F, and the side of the socket and the semicir-' cular plate are made notched, so as to form, when clamped together by the thumb-screw, a rigid connection, capable of any adjustment in the arc of one hundred and eighty degrees. The slide F enters a guide-plate or socket, G, which is rigidly attached to the bottom of the desk H by means of screws. The slide passes into this socket, and is adjusted therein to or. from the occupant of the chair by means of the binding-screw i. To enable the occupant to use the desk"t'or the purpose of reading as well as writing, I construct the desk with holes j, and progide a strip of wood, It, with pins l, which may be readily attached to the desk for the support of the book, as in reading, the inclination ot' the desk being greater, the book would, unless supported, have a tendency to slide 01%. When the desk is to be used for writing, the book-support is to be removed, which, in consequence of its readily detachable character, is easily and quickly accomplished.

From the above description it will be seen that the desk is readily and quickly attached and adjusted, and may be used for both reading and writing purposes. When employed as a reading-desk the book-support k and bracket 0 are employed, and it may be adjusted vertically with the standard, or laterally upon the bracket, and to or from the person through the slide. It may also be adjusted upon the semicircular plate in vertical planes for the proper inclination, and, if desired, can be turned entirely down to one side, so as to be entirely out of the way. When used as a writing-desk the book-support k and bracket 0 are dispensed with, and, the socket D being made to swivel directly upon the standard B, the desk has substantially the same adjustment as with the bracket.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. The clamp A, consisting of the exteriorly screw-threaded tube at, having rigid jaw 0, made in one piece therewith, in combination with the adjustable interiorly screw-threaded jaw c and the binding-screw d, as and for the purpose described.

2. The clamp A, consisting of rigid jaw c, screw-threaded tube a, and adjustable jaw c, with binding-screw, in combination with the adjustable standard B, having annular groove g, the adjustable bracket G, and the socket D, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of the socket D, the adjustable plate E, carrying slide F, the guidesocket G, attached to the desk, and the hinding-screw 73, substantially as and for the purpose described.

GEVEDRA B. SHELDON.

Witnesses:

Sonon 0. KEMON, CHAS. A. PETTIT. 

